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Services, Inc. ^
Clipping Bureau
Box 2230
Brookings, SD
57007
SEP 1 0 1992
Edgemont Herald-Tribune
Local graduate surveying area fossils
Skeletal reconstruction of a Plesiosaur found by Dr. James Martin in Pierre Shale Formation near Edgemont this summer. Drawing by Dan Varner. .
by Barb Bryan ; Publisher/Editor
About 80 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs and other giant reptiles, the area nround Edgemont was a sea bottom. Through the years many formations have been formed including the Pierre Shale, which U a layer of ocenn sediments where an abundance of fossils can be found. Paleontologists will tell you that for the big fossils, including the skeletons and skulls of the giant reptiles, you survey the Pierre Shale.
Summer survey. This summer SDSM&T received a matching grant from the Nebraska National Forest Service to conduct n
paleontological survey of the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands near Edgemont. The research .team is surveying the Pierre Shale around Edgemont, which forms a big circle from the Wyoming border sweeping South and then coming up nround to the East.
Dr. James Martin, a professor at SDSM&T, has been studying fossils all his life. He graduated from Provo/Igloo High School in 1967 and received his PHD in Seattle, Washington in 1979. He has studied the shales around Edgemont very extensively and as a result he has a very fine collection of material to research.
Dan Varner from Minneapolis,
Minnesota and Paul Wegteitner from Willisten, North Dakota are two paleontologists'who are surveying near Edgemont under the supervision of Dr. Martin. Dan, an artist from Minnesota, was first introduced into fossils by Dr. Martin about twelve years ago when they surveyed the Henderson Ranch near Edgemont. He returns to the area each summer to research for more fossils. Paul, a transfer student from Minot State University to the SDSM&T, is studying mining engineering.
Martin discovered a giant fish. Mnrtin recently discovered a 41 ant Pleeiosnur, "which was a huge reptile that had paddles. Continued on page 12
Fossils abundant in the Pierre Shale
Explanation of Pierre Shale Formation
An abundance of fossils c
'ounrt in the Plarrp Shnle ForV
Continued from page 1
i
One group had a long neck ahd another group had a short ne|k. This discovery was one of the largest short neck plesiosaur foufid in this general area. ;
Giant lizards among discoveries. Varner and Wegleitner discovered two specimens of ,a type of prehistoric animal, a giant aquatic lizard. Instead of limbs'it had paddles and was called 'a Mosasaur. The mogasaur weighed up to about 200 pounds and were up to 30 feet long. They weie super good divers. One of the reasons these reptiles were so abundant and lived all over the world was because like the sharks, they had something other than sight to kill their prey with. The mosasaurs had a forked tongue like a snake BO they could
This skeletal reconstruction of a mososaur was drawn by Dan Varner. Several mososaur fossils were found.
trace their prey by its taste through muddy water. Varner said, "The mosasaurs were very abundant for a short period of time. It is quite common to find a vertebrae but to find a good skull or skeleton is more difficult and takes a lot of searching."
Dan Varner pointing out the teeth and jaw from a mososaur specimen. This specimen had been vandalized and covered with tin foil, which is not a good preservative.
Dan Varner and Paul Wegleitner unearthed this mososaur during their surveying this summer.
Discovery of vandalism. A
specimen of a mosasaur was vandalized and covered with tin foil.. Tin foil isn't a good preservative so some of of the specimen was damaged due to exposure to the weather. This specimen will be removed m a cast.
Specimens will be on display. All of the specimens collected during this project will go into a collection at the SDSM&T
museum for anybody to study. All of the data collected will also be
nvflilatrfp ftw nnvftrtB i^f jtragtoji.
tions. The next formation stage you run into is neat beach sands hich were formed when the sea pried up and then was pretty Much gone for the rest of time, he Rockies were starting to de->eiop and the sea drained off. Jorth America became more and nore like it is today. One way w� mow that'the Rockies were developing off to the West and help-Ing to drain me sea is the fact that huge volcanoes were being formed and become quite ae-ilve. The black shale represents the Icky bottom of the sea with 'lotsofmudandsiltlnit. Theyellow band layers In the shale are called benlonite, which is volanic ash, that has been altered into a clay
�through time. It represents these volcanic events. The benlonite compacts <some argue as to how
-much) but if we look at the ben-Itanlte the original ash was many times deeper. Many times we ifind fossils coming out of ben-tonfte layers where they weie killed In the volcanic events.
it Is believed thai the volcanic
.ash wall which moved Into the
area from the West was a 50 foot
wall of volcanic ash which wiped
out whole herds of dinosaurs and
othe r reptl le s. These a n i mals w ere
! smothered when their gills were
1 choked by the volonic ash or
when they c ame to the surfac e to
breath it Tipped their lungs apart.
Paleontologists would like to see
If they can match up volcanic ash
events on land with the volcanic
ash events in She sea.

Copyright 1992-2005, Edgemont Herald Tribune. The original work may be protected by U. S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code), which governs reproduction, distribution, public display, and other uses of protected works. Some uses may be legal with permission from the copyright holder if the use is fair use or within another legal exemption. The user of this work is responsible for compliance with the law.

Services, Inc. ^
Clipping Bureau
Box 2230
Brookings, SD
57007
SEP 1 0 1992
Edgemont Herald-Tribune
Local graduate surveying area fossils
Skeletal reconstruction of a Plesiosaur found by Dr. James Martin in Pierre Shale Formation near Edgemont this summer. Drawing by Dan Varner. .
by Barb Bryan ; Publisher/Editor
About 80 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs and other giant reptiles, the area nround Edgemont was a sea bottom. Through the years many formations have been formed including the Pierre Shale, which U a layer of ocenn sediments where an abundance of fossils can be found. Paleontologists will tell you that for the big fossils, including the skeletons and skulls of the giant reptiles, you survey the Pierre Shale.
Summer survey. This summer SDSM&T received a matching grant from the Nebraska National Forest Service to conduct n
paleontological survey of the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands near Edgemont. The research .team is surveying the Pierre Shale around Edgemont, which forms a big circle from the Wyoming border sweeping South and then coming up nround to the East.
Dr. James Martin, a professor at SDSM&T, has been studying fossils all his life. He graduated from Provo/Igloo High School in 1967 and received his PHD in Seattle, Washington in 1979. He has studied the shales around Edgemont very extensively and as a result he has a very fine collection of material to research.
Dan Varner from Minneapolis,
Minnesota and Paul Wegteitner from Willisten, North Dakota are two paleontologists'who are surveying near Edgemont under the supervision of Dr. Martin. Dan, an artist from Minnesota, was first introduced into fossils by Dr. Martin about twelve years ago when they surveyed the Henderson Ranch near Edgemont. He returns to the area each summer to research for more fossils. Paul, a transfer student from Minot State University to the SDSM&T, is studying mining engineering.
Martin discovered a giant fish. Mnrtin recently discovered a 41 ant Pleeiosnur, "which was a huge reptile that had paddles. Continued on page 12
Fossils abundant in the Pierre Shale
Explanation of Pierre Shale Formation
An abundance of fossils c
'ounrt in the Plarrp Shnle ForV
Continued from page 1
i
One group had a long neck ahd another group had a short ne|k. This discovery was one of the largest short neck plesiosaur foufid in this general area. ;
Giant lizards among discoveries. Varner and Wegleitner discovered two specimens of ,a type of prehistoric animal, a giant aquatic lizard. Instead of limbs'it had paddles and was called 'a Mosasaur. The mogasaur weighed up to about 200 pounds and were up to 30 feet long. They weie super good divers. One of the reasons these reptiles were so abundant and lived all over the world was because like the sharks, they had something other than sight to kill their prey with. The mosasaurs had a forked tongue like a snake BO they could
This skeletal reconstruction of a mososaur was drawn by Dan Varner. Several mososaur fossils were found.
trace their prey by its taste through muddy water. Varner said, "The mosasaurs were very abundant for a short period of time. It is quite common to find a vertebrae but to find a good skull or skeleton is more difficult and takes a lot of searching."
Dan Varner pointing out the teeth and jaw from a mososaur specimen. This specimen had been vandalized and covered with tin foil, which is not a good preservative.
Dan Varner and Paul Wegleitner unearthed this mososaur during their surveying this summer.
Discovery of vandalism. A
specimen of a mosasaur was vandalized and covered with tin foil.. Tin foil isn't a good preservative so some of of the specimen was damaged due to exposure to the weather. This specimen will be removed m a cast.
Specimens will be on display. All of the specimens collected during this project will go into a collection at the SDSM&T
museum for anybody to study. All of the data collected will also be
nvflilatrfp ftw nnvftrtB i^f jtragtoji.
tions. The next formation stage you run into is neat beach sands hich were formed when the sea pried up and then was pretty Much gone for the rest of time, he Rockies were starting to de->eiop and the sea drained off. Jorth America became more and nore like it is today. One way w� mow that'the Rockies were developing off to the West and help-Ing to drain me sea is the fact that huge volcanoes were being formed and become quite ae-ilve. The black shale represents the Icky bottom of the sea with 'lotsofmudandsiltlnit. Theyellow band layers In the shale are called benlonite, which is volanic ash, that has been altered into a clay
�through time. It represents these volcanic events. The benlonite compacts

Copyright 1992, Edgemont Herald Tribune. The original work may be protected by U. S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code), which governs reproduction, distribution, public display, and other uses of protected works. Some uses may be legal with permission from the copyright holder if the use is fair use or within another legal exemption. The user of this work is responsible for compliance with the law.